A Vision of Horror Coming True

I have written about this before but it has to be said again. The murderous brutality showered upon the Palestinians by the Israeli military and Israel’s political leaders is a travesty beyond, in my opinion, any justification.

Where are the voices for peace between Arabs and Jews? Where are world leaders saying enough of this bloodbath between Israel and Palestine? Where is there even a single recognizable person of influence willing to ask why Israel continues to destroy Gaza, building by building taking with them the lives of children and people simply wanting to have a normal life? Where are those voices? There are none.

I understand all of the arguments against Hamas and its group of violent extremists. But there is nothing fair about the imbalance of power between Israel and Palestine. And why the world is not opposing this I cannot understand.

Journalist and author Joshua Frank has made the obvious point that the continuous push of Israel to ultimately remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip by building more settlements and by military threats only serve to incite more violence and mayhem. He writes of the Palestinians, “Living under brutal occupation, decade after decade, has produced elements of extremism, as was the case of the kidnapped and murdered Israeli teens. But what of Israel, a so-called beacon of democracy (even as Israel kills and forces Palestinians off their ancestral homeland), where a Palestinian boy was burned alive in spiteful revenge? Such acts only empower and serve as recruitment tools for Hamas.”

Hamas lobs flimsy missiles into Israel most of them shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome, a sophisticated air defense system, while Israel deploys ferocious laser beamed high pay load missiles into Gaza killing everyone and everything in sight. Although they claim they are giving people warnings ahead of time the death toll continues to climb. A few minutes warning hardly prepares families to escape before a vastly superior bomb savagely penetrates the tiny crowded buildings and narrow streets in Gaza.

The US continues to support this insanity and President Obama recently said in an op-ed piece he wrote for one of Israel’s oldest newspapers that America would continue to unconditionally assist Israel’s defense. Nothing was said about the Palestinians.

The Arabs and Jews have been at each other’s throats for centuries. Their fight is over religious beliefs, land disputes, cultural differences, and just plain pride.

Across the world the most vulnerable people are being bullied, threatened, and mercilessly forced into submission by the great powers that once stood for peace, justice, and world-wide cooperation. The US is one of those powers. As is Israel.

When I look at our crippled world and the staggering hordes of oppressed people in it and the arrogant, domineering powers viciously against them, I cannot help but think of George Orwell’s frightening doomful prediction, “If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.”

Only great courage and heart from the oppressed--and determined, compassionate and intelligent change from the oppressors--will ever make such a portentous vision invalid.

We are Made for Human Connection

There are words from Brandi Carlile’s song, “The Story,” that I might sing, and perhaps you, too. “All of these lines across my face Tell you the story of who I am So many stories of where I've been And how I got to where I am But these stories don't mean anything When you've got no one to tell them to” You don’t have to be single or alone to feel the depth of those words. Someone in a longtime marriage or relationship might feel them, too. The voyage through life takes each one of us through an assortment of experiences. Some of them ennoble us. Some crush us. Some lift us beyond ourselves and carry us into the lives of those who need us. And some carry us to those we need. Some experiences are burdens. Others ease and encourage us. Some leave us baffled and unsure. Some build confidence within us and are so affirming that we grow in substance, in courage, in tenderness, and sympathy. As we age, the lines in our faces can represent the hurts we have not yet resolved. Or t

If I had five minutes to evacuate--what would I take with me?

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Remembering Dr. Bill Craig

In Memoriam Dr. Bill Craig January 1, 2020 In the Hebrew Bible, we see from the life of Moses, and the Psalmist, Isaiah and others , concern for the problem of living rather than the problem of dying. Their primary interest was not how to escape death, but rather, how to sanctify life. Bill modeled that kind of wisdom. The brilliant novelist Louis L'Amour, who wrote bestselling books about the American West, what he called “frontier stories,” basically said the same thing. He wrote, “The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.” No one attempted to sanctify life and get more out of the trail than Bill Craig. He was a deep thinker, a gifted veterinarian, a rugged and unbreakable man with the kindest heart and the purest motives. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather. Karen, Shalor and Melissa, Kellan, Nolan and Carter, were his world. They meant everything to him. I guess he had faults, but I don’t remember any of them. There was o

The Unclad Soul

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